Runa Reta, WISPA Touring
Pro Based in Ottawa Ontario Canada
by
Runa Reta, Live at Grand Central Terminal, New York, 21 Feb 2005
All
content © 2005 Squashtalk,
photos: © 2005 Debra Tessier
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| Runa Reta
in action last year in New York |
New York the Great
In the past year on tour, I have traveled extensively around the world, from countries in Europe to the Middle East and all over Asia. However, of all my experiences, I still find New York to be one of the most challenging and daunting destinations for competition.
At this point you may be trying to figure out what I mean by “challenging”: is it psychological? Is it physical? Are the courts different?
No actually, it is purely economical. My coach Heather Wallace (whose nick-name is Yoda, because of the constant wisdom she exudes) has always told me to use the quickest, simplest form of travel to a destination; even if you have to spend a little more money, the extra expense is worth it for the peace of mind that you will receive and the aggravations you will avoid in getting where you want to go. I could not agree more, and if there is anything that you take away from this article, that’s what it should be.
The problem though is that, well, I’m stubborn. And, when you combine the forces of me being a barely-breaking-even squash player with the mysterious forces known only to exist in beloved New York- where money seems to magically evaporate from your wallet within minutes of touching down at one of the 3 major airports- well it can lead to a recipe of cheapness (or what I would prefer to call a ‘gentle cutting of the corners’). And the corners that I like to cut are those in the forms of transportation around New York (and just outside, to places like Greenwich, Rye, Southport, etc.) Where most international players choose cabs, shuttles or airport limousine services to get in and around the city, I choose the slightly less luxurious bus, rail and subway systems, at a fraction of the cost.
Although I can always justify these choices in the Big Apple by speaking of the importance of upholding some imaginary principles that are somehow linked with my cheapness, I do wonder whether I should cave in at some point and take the more expensive route to travel. Part of this niggling wonderment probably comes from the fact that every time I return from New York I tell myself that I will never ride the public systems again. I mean, who do I think I am? Hauling two massive bags up and down subway corridors, banging into people, getting stuck in the turn-styles (which by the way has in fact happened), working up an abysmally unattractive sweat as I walk around, consulting maps, jumping on the wrong trains, pretending to have a clue…come to think of it, this must be the reason why I travel the way I do! (let me explain)
Whenever someone who
has never been to this city asks me what to do and see, I never speak
of the popular icons such as the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty,
or Times Square (as nice as they are) but rather encourage people to walk
the streets, take the subways, sit anywhere and just observe the essence
of what makes New York the most unique place in the world. The Beastie
Boys describe it best in their lyrics:
Brownstones,
water towers, trees, skyscrapers
Writers, prize fighters
and Wall Street traders
We come together on the
subway cars
Diversity unified, whoever
you are
Nowhere else in the world do you see such a beautiful co-existence of cultures and classes. The frenzied excitement that results from the dizzyingly fast pace of the city is what always brings me back to the middle of it all, the heart of the action. Everyone ought to do this at least once, and for myself, I will continue to ride the public transportation system, just to experience the thrill of emulating and standing shoulder to shoulder with true New Yorkers.
[Runa lost
in the first qualifying round at this week's Tournament of Champions]
